Football players from Utah colleges drafted to the NFL in the 1970s

Since Ed "Red" Wade from Utah State was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1937 in the second NFL draft, the state of Utah has consistently produced NFL-caliber players. Some players were drafted but never played, while others went on to have long careers in the NFL.
In 1970 the AFL and NFL merged, creating modern-day professional football. Here is a list of Utah football players drafted in the '70s. In the coming weeks look for draft lists from the '80s, '90s and 2000s.

Phil Olsen - Defensive Tackle, Utah State

1970 NFL Draft
Round 1, Pick 4
Boston Patriots

The younger brother of hall of famer Merlin Olsen, Phil Olsen played for the Boston Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills. Olsen suffered reoccurring knee injuries that would eventually end his seven year career.

Randy Montgomery - Defensive back, Weber State

1970 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 167
Denver Broncos

Montgomery played in the NFL for four years spending three years with the Denver Broncos and one year with the Chicago Bears. He was most used as a return specialist, but also saw playing time as a cornerback.

Carter Campbell - Linebacker, Weber State

1970 NFL Draft
Round 8, Pick 191
San Francisco 49ers

Campbell played four years in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos and New York Giants.

Russ Melby, - Defensive Tackle, Weber State

1970 NFL Draft
Round 10, Pick 248
Green Bay Packers

Melby was drafted by the Green Bay Packers but was waived after failing a physical.

Bernard Bradley - Defensive Back, Utah State

1970 NFL Draft
Round 13, Pick 327
San Diego Chargers

Bernard Bradley was drafted by the San Diego Chargers but never played in a NFL game.

Picture: Bradley is wearing the number 20 in the bottom right of this 1969 Aggie team photo.

David Smith - Running Back, Utah

1970 NFL Draft
Round 13, Pick 328
Green Bay Packers

David Smith was drafted by the Green Bay Packers but never played in a NFL game.

Ray Groth - Wide Receiver, Utah

1970 NFL Draft
Round 14, Pick 345
St. Louis Cardinals

Ray Groth was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals but never played in a NFL game.

Picture: Groth, pictured on the left, is wearing the number 12.

Jeff Slipp - Linebacker, BYU

1970 NFL Draft
Round 14, Pick 349
Denver Broncos

Jeff Slipp was drafted by the Denver Broncos but never played in a NFL game.

Norm Thompson - Defensive Back, Utah

1971 NFL Draft
Round 1, Pick 17
St. Louis Cardinals

Norm Thompson played cornerback in the NFL for eight seasons. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Baltimore Colts.

Chris Farasopoulos - Defensive Back, BYU

1971 NFL Draft
Round 3, Pick 58
New York Jets

Born in Greece, Chris Farasopoulos declined an offer to play for the Baltimore Orioles in favor of playing football for BYU. Farasopoulos played for the New York Jets and the New Orleans Saints.

Henry Reed - Linebacker, Weber State

1971 NFL Draft
Round 10, Pick 252
New York Giants

Henry Reed was drafted by the New York Giants and played four seasons in the NFL.

Bob Pollard - Defensive End, Weber State

1971 NFL Draft
Round 11, Pick 262
New Orleans Saints

Bob Pollard played 11 seasons in the NFL. He played defensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Cardinals.

Wesley Garnett - Wide Reciever, Utah State

1971 NFL Draft
Round 12, Pick 299
San Diego Chargers

Westley Garnett was drafted by the San Diego Chargers but never played a game in the NFL.

Picture: Garnett is wearing the number 40 in the top left of this 1969 Aggie team photo.

Bill Dunstan - Defensive end, Utah State

1971 NFL Draft
Round 14, Pick 361
San Francisco 49ers

Bill Dunstan played 6 seasons in the NFL. He played defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams.

Tyrone Couey - Defensive back, Utah State

1971 NFL Draft
Round 14, Pick 363
Dallas Cowboys

Tyrone Couey was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys but never played a game in the NFL.

Picture: Couey is wearing the number 22 in the center front row of this 1970 Aggie team photo.

Billy Hunter - Defensive back, Utah

1971 NFL Draft
Round 16, Pick 394
Buffalo Bills

Billy Hunter was drafted by the Buffalo Bills but never played a game in the NFL.

Gordon Jolley - Tackle, Utah

1971 NFL Draft
Round 17, Pick 436
Detroit Lions

Gordon Jolley played seven seasons in the NFL. He played for the Detroit Lions and was also an inaugural member of the Seattle Seahawks. His son Doug Jolley also played in the NFL.

Gordon Gravelle - Tackle, BYU

1972 NFL Draft
Round 2, Pick 38
Pittsburgh Steelers

Gordon Gravelle played eight seasons in the NFL. He played tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams. He earned two super bowl rings with the Steelers.

Marv Bateman - Punter, Utah

1972 NFL Draft
Round 3, Pick 78
Dallas Cowboys

Marv Bateman played in the NFL for six seasons as a punter. He appeared in games for the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills. Bateman was named All-Pro while at Buffalo and in 1976 kicked a 78-yard punt, the longest in team history.

Jeff "Pat" Lyman - Linebacker, BYU

1972 NFL Draft
Round 4, Pick 82
St. Louis Cardinals

Jeff Lyman was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals and appeared in two games for the Cardinals and one game for the Buffalo Bills.

Bob Wicks - Wide Reciever, Utah State

1972 NFL Draft
Round 8, Pick 188
St. Louis Cardinals

Bob Wicks played two seasons in the NFL. He played wide receiver for the St. Louis Cardinals, New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers.

Dave Taylor - Defensive Tackle, Weber State

1972 NFL Draft
Round 9, Pick 231
Kansas City Chiefs

Dave Taylor was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs but did not play a game in the NFL.

Randy McDougall - Defensive back, Weber State

1972 NFL Draft
Round 12, Pick 292
Denver Broncos

Randy McDougall was drafted by the Denver Broncos but never played a game in the NFL.

Jamie Nunez - Kicker, Weber State

1972 NFL Draft
Round 13, Pick 329
Los Angeles Rams

Jamie Nunez was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams but never played a game in the NFL.

Gordon Longmire - Quarterback, Utah

1972 NFL Draft
Round 16, Pick 416
Dallas Cowboys

Gordon Longmire was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys but never played a game in the NFL.

Paul Howard - Guard, BYU

1973 NFL Draft
Round 3, Pick 54
Denver Broncos

Paul Howard played 13 seasons with the Denver Broncos. He started at right guard in Super Bowl XII which Denver lost.

Peter Van Valkenburg - Running Back, BYU

1973 NFL Draft
Round 3, Pick 66
New Orleans Saints

Peter Van Valkenburg played for two seasons in the NFL. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints but traded to the Buffalo Bills before the start of the season. He also played for the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears.

Jon Knoble - Linebacker, Weber State

1973 NFL Draft
Round 5, Pick 125
San Diego Chargers

Jon Knoble was drafted by the San Diego Chargers but never played a game in the NFL.

Bob Peterson - Guard, Utah

1973 NFL Draft
Round 8, Pick 185
New Orleans Saints

Bob Peterson was drafted by the New Orleans Saints but never played a game in the NFL.

Elton Brown - Defensive End, Utah State

1973 NFL Draft
Round 11, Pick 269
Denver Broncos

Elton Brown was drafted by the Denver Broncos but never played a game in the NFL.

Richard Watkins - Defensive Tackle, Weber State

1973 NFL Draft
Round 13, Pick 314
New Orleans Saints

Richard Watkins was drafted by the New Orleans Saints but never played a game in the NFL.

Tony Adams - Quarterback, Utah State

1973 NFL Draft
Round 14, Pick 343
San Diego Chargers

Tony Adams played five seasons in the NFL. He played four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. Nine years after his last season in Kansas City, he attempted to make a comeback, playing three games with the Minnesota Vikings as a strike replacement player.

Jerry Bond - Defensive Back, Weber State

1973 NFL Draft
Round 15, Pick 375
Los Angeles Rams

Jerry Bond was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams but never played a game in the NFL.

Dan Hansen - Defensive Back, BYU

1973 NFL Draft
Round 15, Pick 383
San Francisco 49ers

Dan Hansen was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers but never played a game in the NFL.

Steve Odom - Wide Reciever, Utah

1974 NFL Draft
Round 5, Pick 116
Green Bay Packers

Steve Odom played six seasons in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants as a wide receiver and kick returner. He went to the Pro Bowl in 1975 and holds the record for the longest punt return in Green Bay Packers history with a 95-yard kick return in 1974.

Ron Rydalch - Defensive Tackle, Utah

1974 NFL Draft
Round 8, Pick 197
New York Jets

Ron Rydalch was originally drafted by the New York Jets and played for six seasons as a defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears.

Dave Atkinson - Defensive Back, BYU

1974 NFL Draft
Round 10, Pick 254
Pittsburgh Steelers

Dave Atkinson was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers but elected to pursue a career in the World Football League with the Honolulu Hawaiians.

Archie Gibson - Running Back, Utah State

1974 NFL Draft
Round 11, Pick 268
New England Patriots

Archie Gibson was drafted by the New England Patriots but never played a game in the NFL.

Gary Keller - Defensive Tackle, Utah

1974 NFL Draft
Round 13, Pick 337
Minnesota Vikings

Gary Keller was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings but never played a game in the NFL.

Doug Richards - Defensive Back, BYU

1974 NFL Draft
Round 14, Pick 359
Dallas Cowboys

Doug Richards was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys but never played a game in the NFL.

Don Van Galder - Quarterback, Utah

1974 NFL Draft
Round 14, Pick 361
Washington Redskins

Don Van Galder was drafted by the Washington Redskins but elected to play in the World Football League instead.

Gary Sheide - Quarterback, BYU

1975 NFL Draft
Round 3, Pick 64
Cincinnatti Bengals

Was drafted by the Cincinnatti Bengals but never played a game in the NFL.

Wayne Baker - Defensive Tackles, BYU

1975 NFL Draft
Round 3, Pick 74
San Francisco 49ers

Wayne Baker played one season with the San Francisco 49ers but did not record a statistic.

Paul Linford - Defensive Tackles, BYU

1975 NFL Draft
Round 4, Pick 93
Baltimore Colts

Paul Linford was drafted by the Baltimore Colts but did not play a game in the NFL.

Ike Spencer - Running Back, Utah

1975 NFL Draft
Round 11, Pick 285
Minnesota Vikings

Ike Spencer was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings but did not play a game in the NFL.

Willie Armstead - Wide Reciever, Utah

1975 NFL Draft
Round 13, Pick 317
Cleveland Browns

Willie Armstead was drafted by the Cleveland Browns and later signed with the New England Patriots but elected to play in the Canadian Football League instead. He spent seven seasons with the Calgary Stampeders.

Bob Fuhriman - Defensive Back, Utah State

1975 NFL Draft
Round 13, Pick 321
Green Bay Packers

Bob Fuhriman was drafted by the Green Bay Packers but did not play a game in the NFL.

Dave Benson - Linebacker, Weber State

1975 NFL Draft
Round 14, Pick 359
Washington Redskins

Dave Benson was drafted by the Washington Redskins but did not play a game in the NFL.

Brad Oates - Tackle, BYU

1976 NFL Draft
Round 3, Pick 83
St. Louis Cardinals

Brad Oates played 6 seasons in the NFL as a tackle. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers.

Steve Maughan - Linebacker, Utah State

1976 NFL Draft
Round 3, Pick 91
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Steve Maughan was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but did not play a game in the NFL.

Scott Parrish - Tackle, Utah State

1976 NFL Draft
Round 5, Pick 127
New Orleans Saints

Scott Parrish was originally drafted by the New Orleans saints, but spent his only season in the NFL with the Denver Broncos.

Stan Varner - Defensive Tackle, BYU

1976 NFL Draft
Round 6, Pick 169
Atlanta Falcons

Stan Varner was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons but did not play a game in the NFL.

Orlando Nelson - Tight End, Utah State

1976 NFL Draft
Round 6, Pick 176
Cincinnati Bengals

Orlando Nelson was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals but did not play a game in the NFL.

Louie Giammona - Running Back, Utah State

1976 NFL Draft
Round 8, Pick 214
New York Jets

Louie Giammona played six seasons in the NFL for the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. He rushed for seven touchdowns and caught 2 touchdowns in his career.

Orrin Olsen - Center, BYU

1976 NFL Draft
Round 8, Pick 222
Kansas City Chiefs

Orrin Olsen played one season in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Sid Smith - Linebacker, BYU

1976 NFL Draft
Round 10, Pick 267
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sid Smith was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but did not play a game in the NFL.

Bob Dzierzak - Defensive Tackle, Utah State

1976 NFL Draft
Round 15, Pick 404
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bob Dzierzak was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but did not play a game in the NFL.

Ron Holmes - Running back, Utah State

1976 NFL Draft
Round 15, Pick 423
Miami Dolphins

Ron Holmes was drafted by the Miami Dolphins but did not play a game in the NFL.

John Huddleston - Linebacker, Utah

1976 NFL Draft
Round 16, Pick 446
Denver Broncos

John Huddleston played two seasons in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders but did not record a statistic in either season.

Gary Shaw - Defensive Back, BYU

1976 NFL Draft
Round 17, Pick 485
Los Angeles Rams

Gary Shaw was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams but did not play a game in the NFL.

Dave Hubbard - Tackle, BYU

1977 NFL Draft
Round 5, Pick 136
New Orleans Saints

Dave Hubbard played five games for the New Orleans Saints, but did not record a statistic.

Bill Rice - Defensive Tackle, BYU

1977 NFL Draft
Round 8, Pick 199
New York Giants

Bill Rice was drafted by the New York Giants but did not play a game in the NFL.

Rod Bockwoldt - Defensive Back, Weber State

1977 NFL Draft
Round 8, Pick 218
Los Angeles Rams

Rod Bockwoldt was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams but did not play a game in the NFL.

Brian Billick - Tight End, BYU

1977 NFL Draft
Round 11, Pick 295
San Francisco 49ers

Brian Billick was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers but never played in the NFL as a player. Billick went on to have a very successful coaching career leading the Baltimore Ravens to their only Super Bowl in franchise history, which they won.

Todd Christensen - Tight End, BYU

1978 NFL Draft
Round 2, Pick 56
Dallas Cowboys

Todd Christensen played 10 seasons in the NFL with the New York Giants and the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. Christensen went to the Pro Bowl five times and won two Super Bowls with the Raiders.

Gifford Nielson - Quarterback, BYU

1978 NFL Draft
Round 3, Pick 73
Houston OIlers

Gifford Nielson spent six seasons in the NFL with the Houston Oilers. He spent his career as a back up uarterback sharing time with quarterbacks such as Archie Manning and Oliver Luck.

Jim Hough - Center, Utah State

1978 NFL Draft
Round 4, Pick 100
Minnesota Vikings

Jim Hough spent nine seasons in the NFL as a Guard. He spent his entire career with the Minnesota Vikings.

Picture: Jim Hough, Center, warms up with some teammates before a 1983 preseason game at Wembly Stadium in England.

Mekeli Ieremia - Defensive End, BYU

1978 NFL Draft
Round 6, Pick 158
Chicago Bears

Mekeli Ieremia was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears but spent his only season in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills.

Keith Myers - Quarterback, Utah State

1978 NFL Draft
Round 9, Pick 228
Green Bay Packers

Keith Myers was drafted by the Green Bay Packers but did not play a game in the NFL.

Lance Reynolds - Tackle, BYU

1978 NFL Draft
Round 9, Pick 241
Pittsburg Steelers

Lance Reynolds was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers but did not play a game in the NFL.

Ron Cassidy - Wide Reciever, Utah State

1979 NFL Draft
Round 8, Pick 193
Green Bay Packers

Ron Cassidy played five seasons in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers. He caught 14 passes for 233 yards and no touchdowns in his career.

Larry Miller - Linebacker, BYU

1979 NFL Draft
Round 8, Pick 199
St. Louis Cardinals

Larry Miller was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals but did not play a game in the NFL.

Rick Partridge - Punter, Utah

1979 NFL Draft
Round 8, Pick 208
Green Bay Packers

Rick Partridge spent three seasons in the NFL as a punter. He played the 1979 and 1980 seasons with the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers. He also played in the USFL with the New Jersey Generals. He made a one season comeback in 1987 playing for the Buffalo Bills as a strike replacement player.

John Thompson - Tight End, Utah State

1979 NFL Draft
Round 9, Pick 235
Green Bay Packers

John Thompson played four seasons in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers. He only caught two passes in his career, both for touchdowns.

Dave Parkin - Defensive Back, Utah State

1979 NFL Draft
Round 9, Pick 239
Atlanta Falcons

Dave Parkin was originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons but spent his only season in the NFL with the Detroit Lions.

Tod Thompson - Tight End, BYU

1979 NFL Draft
Round 10, Pick 275
Pittsburg Steelers

Tod Thompson was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers but did not play a game in the NFL.